The Sum Of Us
by morganbriefs
Summary: Bulma's mother wants to rebuild some of the main parts of the CC mansion. Having the big heart she has she decides hiring a couple of kids from the state's orphanage should be good to get the job done. Bulma's opinion? She hates it, of course! CH.3 UPDATE
1. Prologue

A/n: a new fic. Enjoy!

Warning: AL

Disclaimer: Yeah. Wouldn't be writing this if I did own them!

…

"Hello, Ms. Briefs. Welcome to the Orange Star Orphanage. We are the biggest orphanage in the nation receiving more than fifteen hundred thousand physically abused or abandoned children per year. We have the best facilities in the Americas, counting with a great staff that is perfectly capable of taking care of-"

"What's your name?" Ms. Briefs interrupted with a warm smile. The male held his words, smiling back at her nervously. As if it wasn't hard enough to have to memorize the orphanage's history to recite it in front of none other than Capsule Corporation's science genius's wife, Ms. Briefs, she had to interrupt to ask his name. He did something wrong, he assured himself. Otherwise, why would she be interested in knowing his name?

"I-it-u-um Michael" he stammered shaky. Ms. Briefs giggled at him

"Why hello, Michael. Thank you for the nice welcome, young man. I actually know the Orange Star Orphanage history; I have reviewed the pamphlet carefully. I am here to take some of these fine boys with me today" she stated. The boy nodded

"S-sure. Uh, let me call the manager" he turned and disappeared through the main doors of the place, leaving Ms. Briefs to wait at the lobby. The woman took a seat, crossing her legs and grabbing a magazine from the pile to her left. Not two seconds passed before Michael was back

"Uh, Ms. Briefs?" he called. Ms. Briefs looked up brightly

"Yes, dear" she waited for a reply. The boy breathed in

"I have talked to my manager. He says he wants to see you" he informed. Ms. Briefs nodded

"Gladly!..."

"Pumpkin"

"Cutie pie" the manager and the woman engaged in a warm hug

"How have you been?" the man asked. Ms. Briefs smiled sheepishly, taking a seat in front of the manager's personal desk. The manager, Richard, had been one of her classmates back in college. The pair was forced to take a science rhetoric course to finish up their degree which they borderline passed thanks to the study help they provided to and for each other. They had kept in touch since then. Not as much as in college but fairly close to still call each other 'friends'

"I've been well" Ms. Briefs replied. The man breathed out taking a seat across from hers. His stomach was big enough to take up the whole space in his area; he was barely able to touch the desk with his hands. Still, Ms. Briefs didn't befriend people because of their looks; she befriended people because of the character that lay within them. The man rest back on his chair

"I hear your husband's company is making a lot of money" he said. She nodded

"It is. People are buying everywhere around the nation. We just keep producing more and more" she informed. The manager sighed

"No offense" he cleared his throat "but what exactly are you doing in an orphanage? You have a beautiful, beautiful daughter. I can't say beautiful enough times" he said. The woman sighed

"It's a good question, I'm glad you asked" she smiled "and yes. I know I have a beautiful daughter, thank you" she looked into his eyes "I was hoping we could arrange some sort of deal. Mind if I present my idea?" she asked. The manager shook his head

"Not at all" he informed. Ms. Briefs went on

"Great. I was thinking, I have so many things I need to get done in the house. We have a maid that cleans our place daily but we can't ask her to clean the pool or paint the house or you know, do all these things that other people should do, people that have the skills to do it. It'd be a lot to ask for-"

"Right"

"Right. So I wanted to see if maybe you could let me have some of the kids, just for the summer. They would eat, sleep, shower and reside at my place; I will take care of everything and provide incentives for the completion of their tasks. I have eight rooms and I want to take at least four of these kids" she explained. The manager furrowed his brows pensive

"Hmmm. I must say, the idea doesn't sound bad" he said "what criterion would you have in order to choose the kids? We have so many in here" he stated. Ms. Briefs sighed

"Well, I really want to help these kids out, give them something that perhaps they never had. I know some of them come from very rough backgrounds-"

"Tell me about it" he interrupted "yesterday we had yet another fight caused by that damn troublemaker. His name is Vegeta. His parents died young, both of them. It's a sad story. He's been here since he was about nine. He's a tough little guy" he states. Ms. Briefs became interested

"Really? How old is this kid?" she asked. The man shrugged his shoulders carelessly

"Eh. Who knows really? We couldn't find any legal paperwork that would for sure tell us when he was born. We assume he's around seventeen now. He's a wretched rebel, that's what he is. Always going against the current, arrogant and proud he is! You see, few of these kids here dare to defy him. The ones that have tried and haven't been knocked unconscious by him turn into friends of his. There are only three of those though. They call him the prince. They all have real names of course" he said. Ms. Briefs' eyes sparkled with illusion

"Can I have them?" she asked. The manager furrowed his brows thinking 'what the hell is wrong with her'

"Sure. More for you, less for me" he shrugged his shoulders. Ms. Briefs smiled wide

"Perfect!"

**The Sum Of Us**

"Bulma honey!" Ms. Briefs called from the first floor of the huge Briefs Mansion. Ms. Briefs looked at the four boys standing in line behind her. She smiled at them

"Ok, let me see if I can remember your names again…" she looked at the first boy. He bore big spiky hair that touched the floor, his body big and strong for an seventeen year-older

"You're Yamucha-"

"Raditz" he corrected immediately. She gasped

"Oh, that's right. I apologize for that Raditz" she said. He shrugged his shoulders carelessly. She then looked at the other boy. He bore spiky hair as the first one did except for short to his neck; his body almost as big and strong as the first kid

"You're Vegeta" she said. Vegeta quickly jumped in before Goku could say a word

"Kakarot" he corrected quickly. Ms. Briefs furrowed her brows confused

"Kar-ka- what? I can't remember Richard saying that name" she said pensive. Goku tsked

"It's because it's Goku" he rectified giving Vegeta a mean look. Vegeta narrowed his eyes back. Ms. Briefs continued

"Well, if you're Goku then that means you're-"

"Vegeta" he said with a low, manly tone. Ms. Briefs giggled at the evil-looking boy. His nose stood so high up in the air. He held a perfect body posture, his back straight and his chest proudly showing itself, his legs tight and still and his arms tightly crossed on his chest; it was almost royalty-like

"Oooh you're such a handsome, young man" she complimented. He frowned at her. She turned to the last of the boys

"And you must be Yamucha" she guessed as the boy stood straight, looking at her somewhat cautious. His face bore a scar on his right cheek. As far as any other bodily imperfections, he was as flawless as the other three were. Ms. Briefs was pleased with what she was looking and had chosen. She was sure they had all the skills needed in order to get the house re-building going

"Did you call me, mother?" beautiful Bulma Briefs came outside her bedroom, holding on to the hand-rest of the staircase as she stepped down the stairs. Some of her friends were home; Ms.Briefs could hear them talking back in the room. She tried to make the introductions as fast as possible

"Yes, I did. I wanted to introduce you to the boys that will be working on the house rebuilding, repainting and redecorating" she announced signaling the first one of them

"This is Raditz" she signaled the first one "this is Goku" she signaled the second one "this is Vegeta" she signaled the third one "and this is Yamcha" she signaled the fourth one. Bulma smiled sardonically

"Nice to meet you" her eyes locked with Vegeta. Warm blood rushed through her veins quickly. Her breath got caught in her throat. Although unnoticeable for everyone else in the room, Vegeta's lips curled slightly at the ends, forming some sort of wicked, evil smirk that made her blush. She felt warm between her legs, her stomach turned a million times with a deep lust she had never felt before. The girl swallowed looking away from him

"Is that it, mother? We were trying on our swimsuits" she stated. Her mother rolled her eyes

"Bulma I have told you repeatedly 'no more swimsuits.' You have like a thousand and only use two for the whole summer-"

"But mom! I need three to lay out three times a week and I need three to go to the beach. I need two to go on our regular vacation and I need-"

"I've told you before; just because we have money doesn't mean we have to spend it. Those swimsuits are unnecessary expenses" her mother cut her off quickly. Bulma rolled her eyes

"Whatever. Are you done lecturing me? I need to get back to my-"

"How dare you be so unmannered? You need to show our guests to their rooms and you need to show them around the house" she said. Bulma sighed in frustration

"FINE!" she raised her voice, turning on her heel and walking back up the stairs. Ms. Briefs looked back at the kids

"She'll be right with you in just a moment. Why don't you sit comfortably in the living room?" she signaled the room. Raditz shrugged his shoulders

"Sure" he stated taking the first step with his black bag containing everything he owned to stay at the Briefs'. Ms. Briefs shook her head

"No, don't take your bag with you. Wait for Bulma to come down so she can tell you where to put it" she said. Raditz shrugged his shoulders again

"Sure" he said, the men all moving to the living room to wait for Bulma to drect them to their respective rooms…

**End of Prologue. **R/R. Ch. 1 coming up soon!


	2. This Is Us

**A/n: **Ch.1. R/R, enjoy!

**Warning(s): **AL

**Disclaimer: **don't own them!

**The Sum of Us**

"Would you mind helping me out?" Bulma asked as she entered her bedroom where her other three friends awaited

"What do we have to do?" asked Chichi. Her skin was light and fair with big dark eyes and beautiful black hair that reached her lower back. A beautiful girl indeed she was

"Yeah. Do we have to carry all their stuff for them?" her other friend, 18, spoke. Her skin was also light and fair. Her hair was blonde and silky and it reached just below her jaw line. Her beautiful blue eyes were the most stunning feature she comprised

"Nope. They're men" said Bulma quickly "they can carry their stuff themselves" she assured

"Are they cute?" the third friend, Marron, spoke now. Her skin was as light as her friends. She had beautiful blue hair; as opposed to Bulma's straight tresses, it reached her lower back in big waves. Her eyes were big and as blue as her hair. Like the other three girls, her figure was petite and slim. There was a reason they were friends after all. It had to do with all of them being the girls that all the guys wanted and that all the girls wanted to be like. Rich as they were; young, beautiful and intelligent; they were everybody's most wanted possession. They took pride in that they were. Not too many people had the grace, the ability or the money. It took a lot to be like them

"Marron, please" Bulma scoffed "they're orphans" she added at the absurd comment. Marron shrugged her shoulders

"So?" she said finding nothing wrong with her question

"So they're homeless guys" said 18 "you think a homeless guy can take you out on a nice date?"

"I mean really, where is he going to take you?" Chichi sniggered "the homeless shelter for dinner and the orphanage for a sleepover?" she enticed a giggle from two of the girls. Bulma only rolled her eyes

"They _are_ gonna be here the whole summer, you guys, we can't just avoid them. We have to get to know them" she proposed as the only alternative. The girls exchanged wary looks

"They'll be working around the house and stuff so we'll hardly ever see them" Bulma tried to look at the positives. The girls still watched each other in silence

"Don't worry" Bulma tsked "we're still going to have a spectacular summer. There is no doubt about it" she smiled in assurance. The girls stood from her bed together

"Let's just get this over with so we can try on our vacation swimsuits. Oh, I can't wait!" Chichi squealed. They agreed

"Let's go…"

**-&-**

"Is this Bulma girl h o t hot or what?" said Yamucha starting a conversation as the boys sat in the living room waiting for Bulma to take them to their respective bedrooms

"She does have an amazing body" Raditz said "I don't know. What do you think Vegeta?" he turned to the shortest of the four

"She's a loudmouthed bitch if you ask me" Vegeta smirked; his tone was that of a bully. Raditz sniggered

"Oooh that was cold" he teased

"She seemed nice. At least to me she did" Goku stood up for her

"Nice?" Yamucha questioned alarmed "were you in here just now?"

"Yes" Goku nodded gullibly

"You didn't see-"

"Hello boys" Bulma walked in the living room her three friends close behind her

"This is Marron, 18, and Chichi" she signaled the three girls respectively "we will be taking you to your rooms-"

"I'll take _you_ to your room" Chichi interrupted tugging from Goku's hand

"And I'll take _you_ to your room" 18 followed standing aside Raditz before Bulma could continue

"I'll take _you_ then" Marron eyed Yamucha playfully. Bulma scoffed

"Hello!" she whined in protest. The girls shrugged their shoulders with sorry-you're-stuck-with-him expressions on their faces. Bulma's eyes locked with Vegeta's

"Fine! I guess I'm taking you to your-"

"Don't bother. I don't need any help" Vegeta interrupted arrogantly. Bulma raised a brow

"Excuse me? There are eight guest rooms on this floor alone and four were separated and specifically prepared for you guys. You don't exactly get to pick one-"

"I pick what room I please. Not that any of them would satisfy my needs anyway" he remarked arrogantly throwing his big black bag over his shoulder as if it was a bag of potatoes. He headed towards the exit of the living room

"You don't get to pick shit" Bulma fussed "hello! I'm talking to you!" she followed close behind him

"That's, uh, Vegeta" Raditz said "he's got attitude problems" he informed apologetic as if feeling embarrassed for the way Vegeta acted in front of all of them. Chichi scoffed finding his attitude quite absurd

"Yeah, er, he seems pretty full of himself"

"You're gonna find him a bit arrogant" Raditz continued

"And stubborn" Goku added

"Narrow-minded I would say" Yamucha added

"Yeah" said Raditz "it's just until you get to know him, though" he explained

"Let's hope so" 18 said. Marron sighed

"Let's just take you guys to your rooms. You must be pretty exhausted from all the packing and moving process" she said. The guys exchanged looks

"Will do…"

**-&-**

"…and I don't need to remind you that you are a guest in this house, mister, so there!" Bulma finished talking. Vegeta stood in front of her with a bored expression

"Are you done?" he asked. Bulma threw her hands in the air

"You are the biggest asshole I have ever! How I'm going to deal with you for the next three months is honestly beyond me. Seems impractical right now" she said

"I'm here to work, not to get along with you. I could care less about that" he stated loud and simple

"That's it!" she snapped "you're sleeping on the couch you undeserving, ungrateful jerk!" her voice quivered as she pointed her finger at him. He gave her an evil smirk

"I'm not too sure your mother would like that" he pointed out. She rolled her eyes

"Oh! And I care so much about anything my mother says?" she asked ironically

"You had to show me to my room after all, didn't you?" he raised a brow. She frowned "Smart-ass. Just…keep up" she turned on her heel and stepping on route to his room. He smirked behind her. This was going to be an interesting summer…

**Goku's Room **

"Here" Chichi unlocked the first guest room with a small golden key that read 'Da Vinci Guest Room.' Goku thought of it odd. His eyes stopped above the golden doorframe where the words 'Da Vinci Guest Room' were inscribed to the wall in gold as well. He became confused yet decided to leave the whole thing be. It wasn't of his interest to know why the room was named after a famous artist anyhow

"This is your key" Chichi handed him the golden key "you must keep your door locked at all times. Bulma's mom spent a lot of money on the Da Vinci painting and decorations" she informed. Goku nodded. _Guess that's why the guest room is called 'DaVinci' _he thought

"Breakfast is at seven o'clock, lunch is from twelve to two and dinner is at seven" Chichi continued as the pair entered the room "that's what Bulma said to tell you guys anyway-"

"Do you know what we will be doing in the house?" Goku interrupted curious. Chichi faced him now

"I don't know" she said clueless "the household tasks will be discussed in the morning. I know Bulma is going to help keep an eye on all of you…along with her mother, of course" she said. Goku settled his bag near the bed. He turned to face Chichi only to find she had a very odd, wicked smile on her face

"And now" she proclaimed as if announcing a huge event "the best part of being a guest at the Briefs mansion"

"Um…" Goku stared somewhat terrified. Chichi sprinted towards the bed jumping about three feet in the air and landing right in the middle of it. Her laughter was loud enough to be heard throughout the hallway. Goku shut the door quickly

"What are you doing?" he waved his hands in the air "we're gonna get busted!" he moved about alarmed

"Nonsense!" Chichi giggled louder "come on!" she stood on her two feet steady "it's a feather bed. Live a little. Try it!" she started jumping. Goku swallowed hard. A sweat drop formed at the edge of his forehead

"Ms. Briefs is going to-" he stopped talking when she jumped off the bed and landed hard on the floor. She ran towards him and grabbed his arm then pulled him towards the bed. He hesitated

"Don't be silly" she called "it is _so_ much fun" she hopped on the bed again. Goku kept fighting so not to be dragged down with her

"I don't think it's such a good i-wah!" before he knew it, he was on the bed along with her

"Stand up like I'm standing" she instructed. He followed her directions cautiously

"There" she smiled at him as he stood on the bed in the same position as she was

"Now jump!" she started jumping again. Goku joined her still uncertain

"Hey" he jumped higher and higher "this IS kind of fun" he kept jumping. Their laughter could be heard all through the hallway now. He didn't know why but it was certainly one of the very sporadic moments in his life when he felt so happy and full of energy inside

"See!" Chichi yelled over the squeaky noise the springs of the mattress induced "I told you it'd be fun!" she laughed. The pair, then, jumped in the air at the same time knocking head to head at the peak of their jump

"OW!" they yelled in unison, Chichi landing with her back on the mattress while Goku landed face down on top of her. Luckily enough for Chichi, Goku was a strong enough man to hold himself up in a push up form so not to crush her below him. They panted on each other's faces. Chichi stared at his forehead

"You have…a bad…bump" she smiled short of breath

"You…do…too" he was short of breath as well

"Is everything alright…in…here…?" Chavelli, the Briefs' servant who had a key to all the bedrooms inside the Briefs mansion had opened the door. They jumped at the intrusion; Chichi was now seating straight up on the bed while Goku stood still in front of it. They blushed

"Did I interrupt something?" Chavelli spoke with her Spanish accent. Chichi stood from the bed now

"No" she responded quickly "not really. I just" she looked back nervous "I was showing Goku to his room like Bulma's mom told me to" she informed. Chavelli nod once

"I see. Well take your time to show him around the room, you know, the bathroom, the walk-in closet, the bed" she winked her eye at her with a smile. Chichi giggled nervously

"Actually, I-I was o-on m-my way out" she stammered

"You are? Now?" Chavelli asked seeing that Chichi hadn't made the slightest attempt to exit the room yet. Chichi reacted quickly

"Oh! Yeah! Yes! Now" she headed toward the door "I'll see you around, Goku. It was nice meeting you" she waved from the door

"Same here" he gave her the cutest smile she'd ever seen from a boy. She blushed again. Chavelli smiled. She knew love when she saw it. Not that they were good at hiding it either way…

**Raditz's Room **

"Michelangelo Burroti?" Raditz asked baffled as he and 18 arrived to his room, the 'Michelangelo Buonarroti Guest Room.' The room had a high bolted ceiling with paintings similar to the Sistine Chapel paintings carved on it. All sorts of paintings featuring Michelangelo's work were hung sporadically around the room. The room was decorated in dark wine, light green and gold bringing out a unique elegance for the guests staying in the room to enjoy

"Who the hell is this guy?" he looked to the name inscribed on both the golden key handed to him and the top of the golden doorframe to his room. 18 smiled faintly as she faced him

"Buonarroti , not Burroti" she corrected. He shrugged his shoulders making it obvious that he didn't care enough to repeat it correctly. She rolled her eyes

"Michelangelo was absolutely the best artist that the Renaissance had. You know the Renaissance movement right? English lit?" she felt a sense of remorse immediately. _They probably didn't go to school; he has no idea what I'm talking about. Nice 18. Way to go _she kicked herself mentally

"English lit?" he furrowed his brows. She shook her head

"There have been a lot of movements through centuries in which men have worked hard to develop themselves and achieve higher levels of capacity and reason. Once they have accomplished this successfully, a change of movement occurs which is a little irrelevant to the question you've just asked me but important to know all the same" she clarified. He rolled his eyes showing how uninterested he was

"The Renaissance" she continued regardless "was a movement in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Ms. Briefs has a thing for the big artists of this movement" she stated. He raised a brow quizzically as if not exactly understanding the older woman's passion for old art

"Basically" 18 tired to approach it from a different angle "she decorated each of the guest rooms in this house accordingly with her favorite _artistes_ and their master pieces. In this room you will find all of Michelangelo's great work" she said. He looked around at all the beautiful pieces

"It's pretty impressive stuff" he said actually admiring the beauty of Buonarroti's pieces

"You like art?" asked 18 taken aback. He shrugged his shoulders

"I think it's cool" he said. She giggled lightly

"Cool, huh? That's definitely a word to describe Michelangelo's work"

"What's wrong with that?" he demanded immediately

"Nothing" she assured "it's different, I won't lie. You have any favorites?" she asked. He scoffed

"Favorites? Nah. I don't know any of their names" he said. 18 stared as a smart idea crossed her mind

"I happen to know a lot about these artists" she said suggestively

"Really?" he was impressed "it's a shame I'll be working through the day" he conformed

"We could work something out during your breaks and lunch times. I can help you learn a lot of cool stuff" she smiled. He shrugged like a little boy would do when he got something he never thought he would get

"I wouldn't mind it…"

**Vegeta's Room **

"Where is the bathroom?" Vegeta asked in a very demanding tone. Bulma rolled her eyes fed up with his attitude

"You would know where the bathroom is if you could just LET ME FINISH THE TOUR!" she yelled. Vegeta frowned

"I don't need a damn tour!" he raised his voice at her. She breathed in profoundly then let it out

"Listen" she started "we've obviously started off with the wrong foot-"

"There isn't a right foot to start off with here, woman. You give me what I need, stay out of my way and I won't bother you" he said. She narrowed her eyes at him

"You're a waste of good given qualities" she started "I happen to think you're kind of cute but then you open your mouth and you completely ruin it for me" she rolled her eyes in disgust. Vegeta raised a brow

"Cute?" he gave her his trademark, evil half-grin "you have no idea who you're dealing with" he approached her close enough to where he could feel her trembling breath on him. Her heart skipped a beat. She tried to control her breathing but wasn't too successful at it. Never had she had a guy so straightforward and certainly quick to take the bait. Now that she had him exactly where she wanted him she had to admit it felt frightening…in a dangerously fun kind of way

"I tend to get very physical" he whispered his eyes tracing the smooth skin of her lips "I suggest that you stay away" he stared into her bright blue ocean gaze one last time then pulled away from her and walked around her still figure. She swallowed…hard, but slowly

"Breakfast is at seven, lunch is from twelve to two and dinner is at seven o'clock" she thanked Kame for letting her find her voice again. He stopped his movements about the room tilting his head sideways in order to hear what she was saying

"I would suggest you don't be late" she continued "there'll be hell to pay for those of you that oversleep" she headed to exit the room. He continued walking around the room spotting where everything was and making sure it looked well spotted

"You're welcome, by the way" she stood by the doorframe. He faced her with an expression that clearly read 'explain'

"I don't know if you're thankful for our hospitality but being that you insist on acting like you've got a pole stuck up your butt I will assume that you are and kindly say you're welcome" she could've sworn she saw his eye twitch with anger

"Have a good one, your asshole-ness. See you tomorrow bright and early" she left before he could say a word yet knew, by the audible growls he made as she walked away, that he was close to boiling point. She smiled to herself. Yep. This was going to be a long very interesting summer…

"What a stuck-up bitch" Vegeta whispered to himself. _She's gorgeous _his mind betrayed him. He grunted shaking off the thought. He couldn't possibly think that woman was pretty

"She's disgusting" he whispered to himself again. She had the loudest mouth he'd ever seen in a girl not to mention quite a temper. He put this debate at the back of his head. He had other things he wanted to worry about now…

Vegeta stared at the door for only seconds waiting to see if anybody else was going to barge in. Not a soul. He walked over to his bed taking a seat then letting his back rest comfortably against the featherbed mattress. He breathed profoundly. Having no idea why this woman chose a gang to rebuild her house wasn't the only thought playing with his head. Her kindness to him, to all of them; it was a big question mark. Why would someone this rich want to hire kids this poor to come help her around the house? It felt humiliating. Did she feel sorry for them? Did she want to show them what being rich was like? His eyes started to close on him. He jumped off the bed unzipping his pants and letting the garments roll of his body and onto the floor leaving him in just his boxers. He then jumped in bed again. The day ahead seemed busy enough. He needed to rest…

**End of Ch.1. **Thank you very much for the prologue reviews! I hope you didn't have to wait too long. Keeping characters in characters is NO easy task. Hope you enjoyed! Chapter 2 coming out soon! Stay tuned!

**What's missing? **Yamucha's room was edited due to irrelevance to the story. Sorry. I promise there will be more on him later on, Yamucha lovers

Love

PL


	3. Rule Number Seven

**An: **new chapter out! Do forgive me; I know you probably hate me. I am working my best to get these out. Time is very limited. I apologize. Thank you for the support and enjoy! R/R

**Disclaimer: **don't own DBZ…I hate forgetting these!

**Warning(s): **AL, AC

**The Sum of Us**

"All right!" Ms. Briefs said cheerfully "glad to see we all made it here this early in the morning!" she added with a big bright smile. Four teenage boys glanced at her from the 10-person dining table, the tallest two with their eyes half-closed as they yawned with their chin resting on the palm of their hand. The remaining two, one with hair that stood straight like the flames of fire and the other one with a rather big scar on one of his cheeks, stared at the woman with perplexed expressions. The bounciness and energy in her was unbearable. Was she aware that the sun was not out yet?

"Well" she continued as cheerful as before "I have asked you be here at seven o'clock in the morning so we can go over certain 'house rules' and so we can sort out the tasks that each of you will be engaged in. Normal breakfast time will be the same, seven o'clock. You are to report to your duties between seven forty five and eight" she took a sip from the mug closest to her. Vegeta examined the cup carefully as she set it back down. The contents seemed to bear pretty fructiferous results; this woman could climb walls had this been what she was intended to do right now. He analyzed. Maybe he'd give the stuff a try

"Ok. First off: house rules" she handed each of them a sheet of paper entitled 'house rules.' They examined the document curiously listening at the same time as she read over it:

"**Number one**_: **no **asking permission to make use of anything my daughter would otherwise use. As of yesterday, though not legally, you guys became my children. You are entitled to the same rights and will be treated like my children. _**Number two**_: you are to check in with the Orphanage at the end of every week (just so they can file a report on what you've been doing, you know, check that you are in fact doing something.) _**Number three**_: lights out at eleven o'clock. It is important that you get enough rest so you can work without tiredness the following day. Same goes for Bulma. _**Number four**_healthy food__ menus will be served each day for all three meals. Unless you are allergic to something on the plate (in which case Bertha will prepare something particularly for you) you are to finish your meals before carrying on with other things. I do urge you to try and write down everything you're allergic to beforehand so we don't come across complications as the days go by. _**Number five:**_ California will get hotter as the months go by. I have filled up your wardrobes with summer clothes and such; your __bathroom cabinets__ are full of all types of sunscreen lotions; your schedules will keep you out of the sun for the worst part of the day; please use all necessary precautions not to get sunburned. You don't want to deal with the stinging and the pain especially when you're to work here for three months. Refer to Bulma if you need a detailed experience. _**Number six**_: .NO partying. I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. _**Number seven**_: girls and boys are _**not**_ to meddle with one another; they are to _**help**_ each other. Any sort of kissing, flirting, hugging, excessive friendliness (may be taken as flirting,) closure, etc, is completely forbidden. No girls in boy bedrooms and no boys in girl bedrooms, period. I don't want to have to confront any of you for this. Bulma, you are to inform your friends about this particular rule_

"I trust none of you have problems with these" asked Ms. Briefs looking up from the sheet of paper. The boys looked up nodding in agreement. She smiled

"Good. The rest of these we don't need to spend much time on. You can read them later on" she put the paper away "now for the tasks" she moved on "Some of the tasks will require more days _and_ weeks than others. I found no better way to assign these tasks but to draw. It's as fair for one as it is for the other so…" she handed a plastic cup to Vegeta with four folded pieces of paper at the bottom of it "all of you please pick one from the cup" she said. Vegeta first picked smashing the cup on Goku's chest waking him up from a pleasant dream. Goku shook his head sleepily grabbing the cup pressed to his chest and grabbing another one of the pieces. He passed it on to Raditz who also awakened from a deep sleep, unsurprisingly enough. The tall male passed the cup with his task on hand, Yamucha left with the last bit of paper. Bulma's mother cleared her throat

"Vegeta?" she called signaling the paper as if waiting to hear what it said

"The porch" said Vegeta grimly

"The porch" Ms. Briefs smiled "you will be rebuilding and painting the porch. A month and a half should be enough time to get it all nice and done" she said. He turned away uninterested. She shook her head slightly. She was starting to feel powerless to do anything for him that would make him happy. _Don't lose hope_ she kept reminding herself. With that her eyes fell upon Goku

"Goku?" she called

"The garage/pool" Goku said doubtful

"Oh yes!" said Ms. Briefs as if she suddenly remembered something "I hope you know how to work with tools. I need you to fix the garage door and I also need you to fix the pool filters and clean the pool when you're done. The pool house needs painting and the a/c isn't working properly so I need you to check on that too. Check all the light bulbs and see if they work. If they don't, tell me. I'll give you new ones to put on there. Very well" she smiled at him. He smiled back as she moved on to the third kid

"Raditz?" she called

"The backyard" Raditz said with furrowed brows

"The backyard needs a couple of things done. First, we have a nice colonial swing that hasn't worked for ages. I thought you'd be able to fix that. I know I have the instructions lying around somewhere" she scratched her head "well, anyway, that's that. I ordered a new lamp for the backyard which should be arriving in two days. I need you to mount it and please be careful with it. I'm pretty sure it's the last model of it since it's very old. Er…the lawn needs trimming. There are weeds all over the place so that will take _some_ time to remove. The hardwood floor on the back porch is pretty old so you'll be replacing old wood for new one. Had you finish earlier than expected, though I doubt it, I shall give you something else to do" she said. He nodded once. Ms. Briefs looked at Yamucha now

"Yamucha?" she asked

"In-house painting?" said Yamucha

"In-house painting is nothing more than painting a couple of rooms that need fresher color within the house. I will show you to these rooms once we're done here. The painting materials are already in the rooms. All you have to do is get started. Vegeta" her eyes fell upon him. Vegeta faced her

"I trust it shouldn't take you three entire months to finish with the porch. I expect you to help Yamucha with the painting when you're done" she winked her eye at him. Vegeta narrowed his eyes and almost managed to let out a grunt in disapproval. Ms. Briefs seemed to ignore this. Her attention went back to the four boys now. She clapped her hands excited

"O-k. Now that the tasks have been assigned…let's eat!"

**8AM **

"Where are you going first?" Raditz turned to Goku as the four of them remained seated on the dining table having just finished the first meal for the day

"I have to work on the garage in the mornings and the pool in the later afternoons. That's what this says" he signaled a pink copy of his schedule which Ms. Briefs had handed to each of them no later than a minute ago. Raditz nod

"I see. This backyard stuff doesn't sound like fun at all" he complained

"We're not here to have _fun_" Vegeta joined the conversation "didn't you hear her yesterday? We're here to work our asses off" he said with his usual scowl

"We get to earn money" Goku pointed out trying to look at the positives

"Yeah" said Yamucha "that's better than the rest down at the orphanage" he added. Vegeta crossed his arms on his chest

"I say we get it done and get the hell out of here. I don't know how much pestering I can take from these women. It's maddening" he said

"I bet that's a real ordeal for _you_" Raditz snorted. Vegeta turned his attention to him

"They're beautiful, all four of them. Unless you're talking about having to work hard to keep our self-control, I find it's no torture at all having them around" said Raditz

"Yeah, man" agreed Yamucha "I wanna do the _fandango_ with one of the blue haired chicks. Either one; I'll take either one" he danced on his chair. Goku and Raditz chuckled in unison. Vegeta only smirked

"We better get moving" Goku advised "we don't wanna be late on our first day" he stood from the table. The rest of them followed ready to begin the most peculiar summer of their lives…

**The Backyard **

"Great" Raditz muttered to himself "the backyard hasn't been touched in a hundred years" he whispered with irony

"Ow!" he heard a female voice say. He walked past the ancient swing, just around the back porch's corner finding himself with none other than 18 crouched over on the ground. She was pulling some bad weeds from the corners of the pavement that made up the back porch. Her hands were covered with gardening gloves. Her face bore dirt marks all over probably from clearing the sweat off her face more than once. Her hair was falling out of her high ponytail, some on her face and some on behind her ears. Her beautiful blue eyes locked with his reminding him that this woman was indeed beautiful despite the fact that she looked a total mess at the moment

"Oh hi" she greeted surprised standing from her bent down position. Raditz smiled nervously

"Hi" he waved his hand shortly

"Are you guys getting started?" she asked. He nodded as she wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand

"I'm just trying to get rid of the dallisgrass here" she smiled faintly

"Looks like nobody's messed with the yard in a while" he noted. She looked around embarrassed to see the shape that the backyard was in. Although limited in space, the backyard was full of all sorts of plants and weeds not to mention assorted colorful bugs. The lawn needed some serious mowing; the grass looked frail, unnourished, dead; the different plants had grown tall enough for any sunshine to get through. The environment was foggy and moist; there were water batches everywhere. The smell of humidity along with perhaps about fifty dead plants in here, all mixed up, was definitely the reason the air abided a strong rotting scent

"Yeah" 18 spoke apologetically "it was Dr. Briefs who used to take care of it" she said

"Dr. Briefs?" Raditz questioned

"Her dad. He's been working hard on a very extensive project. Research alone has taken about a year" she explained

"So he hasn't been here in a whole year?" asked Raditz

"Nope. Kind of hard on Bulma, not so hard on the mom; she's actually been ok" she said

"Well" Raditz examined the dallisgrass weeds "why not get started?" he moved about

"Sure" said 18 "these are your tools" she signaled behind her where a pair of rain boots along with a red box containing all sorts of sharp cutting tools, a mask to cover his nose and mouth and a different pair of gardening gloves lay all together

"You know what to do with all of these?" she asked

"Yeah" said Raditz walking over to the tools "yeah I've used them before" he picked up the mask to take a closer look. 18 joined him staring at the equipment

"We need to get rid of everything top surface then work our way to the bottom" she referred to the yard

"We?"

"I volunteered to help. Hope you don't mind" she said insecure. Raditz shook his head quickly

"N-no" he stammered clumsily "no, I don't mind at all"

"All right" she smiled "cause we have a whole three months to go…"

**In-House Painting**

"Ok" Marron picked up a rather sharp metal tool that was flat all the way to its handle

"This" she held it high "is a scraper. We're going to use it to scrape off the painting from the walls"

"I've used a scraper before" said Yamucha looking at it "I just thought the paint was off already. Its eight rooms. We'll never finish it in three months time!" he said

"Be positive" they locked eyes "I'm sure we'll finish and we'll have time to spare" she smiled proudly

"All right" Yamucha shook his head in disbelief "if you say so" he grabbed the rim of his shirt pulling the garment over his shoulders and head. Marron furrowed her brows horrorstruck

"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped. Yamucha backed away

"I'm taking my shirt off" he explained "what's wrong with that-?"

"You aren't supposed to take your shirt off!" she fussed turning her back on him as she was now blushing

"Why not?" she heard him ask behind her "it's hot in here. You don't suppose I paint all this fully clothed" he said as if it was ridiculous to think he could. Marron blushed even harder. Not only did she find him incredibly adorable; he was also very well proportioned for a guy that was only eighteen. His arms were broader than what she saw beneath the clothes. He looked slimmer in just the skin; his abs were very well formed

"I…it is hot" she faced him

"Yeah"

"But don't suppose I'm taking my shirt off just because you took off yours" she frowned

"I-I di-didn't-"

"Remember rule number seven" she added. He looked around as if trying to remember

"Rule number seven…hmmm…rule number seven…you know rule number seven-?"

"Boys and girls are not to _meddle_ with each other, they are to _help_ each other" she provided the information for him

"Oh" he chuckled "I wasn't thinking of bending any rules"

"Neither was I" she spoke quickly

"Good. I'm glad we've cleared that up" he spoke shyly

"Me too…"

**The Garage**

"Have you ever worked on garage doors?" Chichi asked as her and Goku opened the control box containing all the cables that operated the electronic door

"I haven't" he said "but it shouldn't be too hard" he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket

"Here's the instructions" he gave her the paper. Chichi pulled back holding the page close to her face

"Goku are you sure these are instructions?" she asked looking over them uncertain. He turned away from the box

"Why?" he looked over her shoulder. He couldn't help but to notice that her hair had a very soft, distinctive smell; it was like walking through a fully bloomed field of white cherry blossoms

"Because the control box doesn't have any yellow cables, it only has green, red and blue" she said. She couldn't help but to notice just how close from her he was. His broad chest almost touched her bare back. She felt so warm in his invisible embrace; she just wanted to cuddle up beneath him and stay there the rest of the day

"You're right about that" he snatched the paper from her "let's see" he examined the instructions scratching the back of his head. She stared. Had the piece of paper not been between their faces she'd be able to feel his breath on her. _Rule number seven. Rule number seven. Rule number seven_ she kept reminding herself

"Looks like I brought the wrong set of instructions" he looked up from the page "these are for the pool filter. I wonder where the other ones went" he put the instructions back on his pocket. Then they stood there for what seemed like hours staring into each others eyes, silent

"Maybe if I…" Chichi leaned forward and kissed him, something she had never, ever dared to do in her life. The only kisses she had shared with guys had been initiated by them, not her. She must've been out of her mind! They pulled away quick. She covered her mouth terrified as he stared at her confused

"I…" she started "I'm so sorry. I didn't…I'm sorry" she turned around but he pulled from her hand and had his lips crushed on hers before she could say another word

"This is what you wanted to do?" he whispered on her lips

"Yes" she smiled and they kissed again…

**The Porch **

"You should rebuild first" Bulma watched as Vegeta opened the first bucket of paint with a paintbrush on hand

"I'm painting" he said stubbornly

"It's just a suggestion" she said

"I don't give a shit" he locked eyes with her

"What kind of sick satisfaction do you get from being rude?" she asked with a frown. He smirked

"Pissing you off is priceless" he said

"You're such a jerk" she turned away enraged flopping down on the first step of the porch's set of steps. He turned away focusing on the painting part of his job now. Painting the wood while it was down looked like a much harder job than if it was already on. Perhaps the woman was right though he'd never admit to such thing. There _had_ to be an easier way to paint the wood before putting it on. It was just a matter of thinking for a little bit…

"Hey brains" Bulma called from the steps. An hour had already gone by and Vegeta was still trying to figure out a way to paint the wood before putting it on

"Don't think too much, you might hurt yourself" she laughed. Vegeta grunted but said nothing. Bulma stood from her seating stance approaching him rather intrigued

"What are you doing?" she asked watching as Vegeta tried to make the pieces of wood stand on their own while he painted them. The wind blowing made them tumble one over the other

"Mind your business wench" he spat at her even more annoyed now that his idea was backfiring

"Look" she brought his eyes to her "why don't you just rebuild the porch first and we can paint it afterwards? I'll help you with the pieces. It won't take us that long" she suggested. He grunted disapprovingly giving her a look that could easily match up to the devils

"It'll be easier-"

"Forget it!" he frowned

"Fine!" she frowned as well "you wanna finish the porch in a year? Go ahead. Break a leg!" she stormed off to the insides of the house. Vegeta watched as she stomped angrily. He then turned to the pieces of wood. _I'm painting first _he assured himself beginning to settle the wood pieces in order to paint them…again…

Vegeta spent the rest of the morning trying to paint the wood pieces before putting them on. When called up for lunch everybody went except for him. Bulma's mother went ballistic when Bulma informed her about the arguments and communication issues that she and Vegeta were having. Not only did she want Bulma to apologize but Bulma was forced to bring his lunch up to the porch and sit there until Vegeta needed the help, thing she did not agree of at all. Aside the few death glares they gave each other from time to time, they shared no words throughout the rest of the day. Six o'clock began to close in sooner than they both expected…

**Dinner**

"Here" Chichi handed Goku some tissue "clean your mouth as much as you can. We can't let anybody know about…you know…"

"Kissing?" asked Goku

"Yes!" said Chichi exasperated "one person that finds out and we're dead" she lowered her voice as she heard footsteps approaching the dining room. Being the first ones to make it to the table they decided to check for any evidence that could potentially give them away. 18 appeared out the corner of the room and Chichi quickly stopped Goku from using the tissue to wipe his face

"Hey" Chichi's faked a tired face "how'd it go?"

"Horrible" said 18 "we spent the whole day ridding my hair from bugs. I hate plants and anything remotely linked to them" she took a seat aside Chichi letting out a sigh

"I'm starving" she added

"Me too! I'm famished!" said Goku who was seating to the other side of Chichi. 18 smiled at him

"How'd it go with you two?" she asked

"It was all right" started Goku

"Well more than all right" Chichi narrowed her eyes at him invisible for 18 to see. She turned to the blonde now

"We fixed the garage door and the a/c. We just need to pick up the pool house a little bit before we start off with the painting" said Chichi

"Where's Radz?" Goku asked

"He'll be out in a minute. He's got a bad rash on one of his arms. A weird flower squirted some white liquid all over his forearm" she informed. Goku became alarmed

"Oh but don't worry" 18 went on "Ms. Briefs knew exactly what it was. She's got an antidote for it" she said

"Should we get started without him?" asked Chichi

"I guess so. He has to take a shower after the injection to clean up the liquid" she said

"K. Then I guess we're waiting for Marron, Yamucha, Bulma and Vegeta. Where are they?" asked Chichi. Just as if she were attracting them by the mentioning of their names, Bulma and Vegeta appeared out the dining room looking very angry and tired. Vegeta walked as far away from Bulma as possible while Bulma narrowed her eyes at him every time he even attempted to look at her

"Hey, Bulma-"

"I don't want to talk right now" she took a seat across Goku with a frown. Vegeta left a seat between them empty taking a seat across 18. Goku beamed at the sight of Vegeta for he was the only other person on the table that he knew better than the others

"Hey Vegeta I was going-"

"Kakarot, can it" he cut off irate. Goku backed up

"O-k" he responded warily. Marron and Yamucha now entered the room

"Hey!" Marron greeted energetically

"How was painting?" asked 18 as the girl seated between Bulma and Vegeta

"It was…fun" she looked at Yamucha. Yamucha chuckled nervously taking a seat across from Bulma

"Yeah" he chuckled some more "yeah it was!" he scratched the back of his head timidly. Chichi furrowed her brows suspicious. Could it be that her friend Marron had also broken rule number seven?

"How much did you get done?" asked 18

"Just enough to pass on the first day" responded Marron. The maids made their way to the dining room carrying different trays of food. The conversation was put on hold as their plates became full with all sorts of different menus. No sooner than later had they begun to chomp food down their throats. Their plates were empty in no time. One by one they headed off to take a shower and call it a day…

**Vegeta's Room **

Bulma was walking down the hallway in nothing but a tank top and some boy shorts directed to her bedroom when she saw the door to Vegeta's room halfway open. She passed it, her head up high, wanting nothing to do with the bastard. Then curiosity got the best of her. Being incapable of restraining herself was an issue. Now vengeance on the other hand…

Bulma could hear the shower running once she entered the room. _He's in the bathroom _she smiled mischievously. Even wider her smile became when she realized the door to the bathroom was also open

"Time for a little payback" she whispered entering the bathroom as careful as to not let him know she was ever there…

She giggled to herself as she now took a hold of all of his sleeping clothes, his towel, any additional towels that were available in case his was missing, and an empty bottle of cat shampoo which she had poured in the shower gel bottle cautiously and without getting caught. She was debating whether to turn the bedroom light off _or _turn the temperature down… or both, when she came across a hard-rock surface. She hit it hard enough to fall back on her ass, the clothes and bottle flying everywhere as attempted to cushion the fall with her hands

"Ow!" she screeched looking up

"Going somewhere?" asked Vegeta. Bulma stood from the ground

"Vegeta" she smiled nervous "hi. I…uh…I was checking to see that you had everything…" she didn't fail to notice that the man she once thought she truly hated was now standing before her with just a green towel tied around his waist. _His chest is…interesting _her mind wandered off. _Nice abs_ it continued

"Like what you see?" his voice broke her daze. She shook her head

"No" she returned to her usual self "I-I wasn't looking at anything in particular" she attempted to walk past him but he blocked the way

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" he asked with a sly smirk

"I'm going to my room…now…that you have…everything" she didn't like the look on his face for he seemed to have realized something from the time he busted in on her until now

"What's this?" he reached behind her grabbing the empty bottle of the cat shampoo from the floor. Bulma shut her eyes closed. _Busted, damn it!_

"It's my cat's shampoo-"

"Is it really" he cut off with sarcasm "what is it doing here?" he further interrogated

"I…don't know, Vegeta. Maybe Bertha gave him a bath last week and-"

"Do you honestly think I'm stupid?" he cut her off again staring into her eyes, amusement sparkling on his

"What do you mean do I think-I don't think you're stupid I-"

"Sure" he reached behind her again grabbing the shower gel bottle which was curiously dripping the dark contents of the same cat shampoo bottle. He turned the cap and breathed in

"Smells like cat shampoo to me" he looked at her. Bulma was so busted she couldn't hide it anymore. There was only one thing to do…

In a swift movement Bulma was bent down on the ground. She crawled fast through the side of his legs attempting to get as far away from his grasp as possible. Vegeta embraced one of his strong arms around her hips

"You're getting it" he said carrying her over to the large, Jacuzzi-like bathtub effortlessly "trying to be sneaky, are you?"

"Let go!" she kicked and screamed "asshole! Let go of me!" she let out another high-pitched scream. Her scream, however, was cut short when she landed square and whole on the bathtub. Her hand was grasping the towel on his waist so tightly that not only did it detach when she was pushed into the bathtub but she dragged a naked Vegeta along with her. Now both of them lay on the bathtub…

"Please tell me you're not naked" Bulma covered her red face with both hands hoping she really hadn't done any of it. Why couldn't she just keep walking? Nothing would've happened if she had. Nothing…

"What do you expect? You were so desperate to see me naked-"

"As if! You are _so _full of yourself-"

"Stop covering your face, idiot, there's nothing to see" he commanded. Bulma split her middle and index finger to see in between them. She looked down at the water realizing that he was in fact telling the truth. She dropped her hands slowly. Then the stare down began. Although the water reached above their chests, neither she nor he could get over the fact that they were in a bathtub together. The water was cold but it felt a thousand degrees inside Bulma's body. The silence was killing her. She couldn't stare into his eyes without saying a word anymore. Those beautiful black eyes that could hide the darkest of truths; that held so much passion; that longed for compassion and affection and…

"What are you looking at?" his rough voice, again, ruined it for her

"What do you care?" she spat back "it's not your business to know"

"Like I actually give a shit" he said uninterested

"You asked, didn't you" she said cleverly. Vegeta only grunted

"Not only did you have to get the towels wet but you had to push them as far away from the bathtub as possible" complained Bulma

"If you hadn't been trying to see me naked in the first place-"

"Would you stop saying that? I am not interested in seeing you _naked _at all" she snapped at him

"What the hell were you doing in my bathroom then?" asked Vegeta

"What were you doing walking around in just your towel when the water was running?" asked Bulma

"I asked first" he signaled

"I swear you are the most difficult person I have ever spoken to" she threw her hands in the air

"Really?" he asked with irony

"Really" she asserted

"And you think your god's given gift?" he asked with a raised brow

"Yes" her chin high up in the air she responded

"You're shitting me?" he snorted

"You're a jackass" she narrowed her eyes at him "has anyone ever told you that-?"

"Vegeta?" a male voice called

"Finally" said Bulma "in here!" she called. Goku entered the bathroom startled to see the position they were in

"Hey Goku" said Bulma with shame "this is not what it looks like"

"S-sure" he stammered

"We fell in the bathtub" explained Vegeta "we need towels" he said. Bulma explained how to get the towels carefully catching on the fact that Goku wasn't exactly a great listener. After much struggle trying to explain to him how to get to the hallway closet so to get the towels, he finally came back with only one on hand

"It's mine" Bulma called quickly

"Don't care" Vegeta shrugged his shoulders

"I'll bring you another one" she said but he seemed to ignore her last words as he stared blankly in front of him never flinching as she stepped out of the bathtub

"See ya, Goku" she bid her goodbyes walking out in a split second. The whole scene had been embarrassing enough…

**-&-**

"So you and Bulma" started Goku seating on the toilet close to the bathtub

"Me and the woman what?" asked Vegeta

"You know" said Goku "it's ok. I broke rule number seven too" he said

"I haven't" replied Vegeta "not yet…"

**End of Ch.2. **I'm excited to be back! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter Thank you for the support.and aren't too busy to review. I'd appreciate it Read me later!

Love

PL


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